Draw-bar-supporting means.



n. T;- HARRIS & 1. H. TIN'KER.

' DRAW BAR SUPPORTING MEANS.-

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12.191]- 1,257,344. Patented Feb.2 6,1918.

HIIWHIHF Ill DAVID T. HARRIS AND JOHN H. TINKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DEAER BAR-SUEEOBTING- MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Felo. 215, 1%18.

Application filed July 12, 1917. Serial No. 180,061.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Davin T. Haunts-and JOHN H. Truman, citizens of the United States, and residents of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draw-Bar-Supporting Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway car construction, and more particularly to draw bar supporting means.

One oi": the objects to simplify and to reduce the weight and cost of draw bar supporting and centering means.

Another object is to minimize or eliminate a tilting force on the carry iron when the draw bar is given a lateral moven'ient as in rounding a curv These and other objects are accomplished fhy providing a draw har centering device for railway cars comprising a carry iron having inclined ways resting; on rollers mounted on the car, whereby the draw liar is centered, said carry iron having a recess in its upper side for a draw bar and being in a horizontal plane with the rollers.

The invention is illustrated on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view or" draw bar supporting and centering means em bodying our invention; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modification of the same.

The various novel features of our invention will be apparent from the following; description and drawings, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings we have shown a buffer hlocl; which may be secured to the end of a railway car in any suitable manner, for instance, by means of bolts which pass through openings 11 formed in the rear late 12 of the buffer block. The front plate 13 of the butler block is connected to the rear plate 12 by side plates 14 and 15, and also reinforcing ribs 16. The side plates is and 15 are relatively low and form the side walls of a relatively low opening 17 through which a draw bar may extend. These side plates M and 15 have openings 18 and 19 respectively, and justhelow the same are spaced laterally extending projections 20 having inclined or curved ways 21, the central portion oi each or which is the lowest. Normally resting in the lowest part of the ways 21, only one which is shown in Fig. l, are

rollers 22. Resting upon these rollers are cooperating laterally extending oppositely arranged curved or inclined ways 23 of a draw bar supporting member 2st which has an offset body portion forming a recess 26 formed therein for the reception of a draw bar, the latter of which is retained between the side walls 27 of the supporting member or can iron 24:. Laterally extending portions of the carry iron which terminate in the inclined or curved ways extend laterally through the openings 18 and 19 in the side walls, respectively, 14 and 15 of the bufi'er block. From this arrangement it is apparent that whenever the draw bar is given a lateral movement, such for instance, as when the ears are roundii'ig a curve, the carry iron moves with the draw bar, the guideways 23 of the carry iron rolling over the supporting rollers 22. As soon as the car has come into a straight line 01'? movement the draw bar matically centered by gravity, clue to the action of the curved or inclined ways 21 and -53 with respect to the rollers It will he noted that the recess 26 in the carry iron which receives the draw bar, is substantially in the same horizontal plane with the rollers 22 so that when the draw bar and carry iron are given a lateral thrust or movement the force will be directed along a true horizontal line. In other words, there will be no vertical component. By means'of this arrangement any lateral tilting action of the draw bar and of the carry iron and the resulting strains and wear will be obviated. ltnecessarily follows that the pressure upon the opposite rollers 22 is equally divided not only when the car is moving in a straight line but also when it is moving in a curved line.

It will be noted also by means of depressing the carry iron the height of the side plates 14 and 15 may be considerably decreased thereby eliminating material and the cost thereof.

In Fig. 2 we have shown a modification of our invention, in which the laterally extending curved ways 98 extend through openings 29 in the webs of side sills 30, each of which has laterally ertending inte rally formed curved or inclined ways 31 in which rollers 32 are rnonntet. The action of the parts shown in Fig. 2 are substantially the same as those of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

it is evident that there may be various and carry iron are autospirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. We claim:

1. A carry iron for draft gears, conipris-.

ing aibar having a body portion provided with inclined ways formed near each end thereof, said body portion adapted to support a draw bar, the draw bar engaging portion thereof lying in a plane below the inclined ways.

2. A draw bar centering device for railway cars, comprising a carry iron havin inclined ways. resting on rollers mounte on the car whereby the draw bar is centered, said carry iron having a recess in its upper side for a draw bar and being in a horizontal plane with the rollers.

3. A draw bar centering device for railway cars, comprising a carry lron havin inclined Ways resting on rollers mounte on the car, whereby the draw bar is centered,

said carry iron having an offset portion forming a recess formed therein for a draw bar, the recess being in a horizontal plane with the rollers.

4:. A draw bar centering device for railway cars, comprising a carry iron having inclined ways resting on rollers mounted on the car whereby the draw bar is centered, said carry iron having a recess formed therein to so position a draw bar relative to the rollers whereby any lateral movement of the draw bar will exert a force resolved in a horizontal plane.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 10th day of July, A. D. 191

, DAVID T. HARRIS. JOHN H. TINKER. 

